The Delta independent., 1887-06-21
Bill Nye's 4th Of July SDnech.

y
FELLOW CITIZENS: 1t has now been
one hundred and eleven years since
the most successful and most prosper.
ous republic known to history. sent
forth upon th1 sultry air its first feeble
cry. One hundred AMI eleven years
NJ" this morning, the small rrh infant
known as American Liberty. janu,-d
her purple fists into her watcry eye.
and made d few desultory remarks
which were beard in the u,lern,ust
part. 0f the earth.
To-day she is u fnll-srnwn person,
with u dignitie.l miien. and has had Il
statue Of herself taken. whicl, stands
In the llarbor of New York. and. al
though sli1 lights up the country for
miles around, with her little torch,
there is M one who has ever i,e-n able
to hold u Candle 10 her IN the liberty
business.
Th'so who are tod y within the
sound 0f my voice. and wlin are over
onu hundred and eleven years uf age,
will perhaps recall to their minds the
derloralle condition Of things here in
our young and struggling country at
that time.
Ii we moved out west in order to Sc
cure more freedom. the vpntures"lne
savage filled us full Of arrows till we
looked like tuot othlick-i,0l,l-rs, and
when We came back for protection. the
naughty lsriton assesssti us and crushed
us beneath the iron heel OF III. despot.
Now. wherever the starry banner
hangs out 10 gree: the gentle Lreez-.
all. all are free, Little do we know t,,-
day. here in America, What it is to suf-
ter for freedom. Liberty dues Il good
business here in the United State. now.
and the man who runs out Of freedom,
shows that he is Il shittless IMAM and !.
poor prueidrr.
Only u little over Il century ago we
dared not 60 out after dark without u
chilled steel corset. for fear the i,,ar,,ui,-
coloretl children Of the forrest might
let the pale. sl,imnering moonlight in
among our vital organs 10y means of
their crude tUinxliawks. Then life was
indeed uncertain AMI disagreell'le.
People remained at home rather thar,
return to their houses with holes il,
themselves and wildly disI,evelea
brains.
Now a man can start out and 80
anywhere If li~ pays his fare.
And 80 We are marching on. What
a grand stride IT is from tile d-spo, ism
of a century ago. To the long aud short
haul Of tUday! What II mighty Leaf,
from the bartmrisrn nf a hundred years
ag". to the gl"ri"ns sunlight of free
dom which We enj"y i"w.
Where dlre the slnw-gOing ok team,
and 3elclIer box wagon crrpt through
the wilderness, liabIe to he scattered
over the green sward at any moment
i'y the yelling Injun. now the pa, lent
newspaper man. the member Of con
6ssc "ho A"V oSoNV s0sS VI khV
supreme court, with their cOats over
their arms. toll aloag the level sweep
Of railrnad which, they assisted to build
by means OF tlirii land grants and
moral encouragement. looking ever
| and anon over their shoulders for the
approach Of The yelling nlmlerIi injuu'.
Times have indeed changed ia the
past century. A hundred years agD
whisky WAS sold at furty cents per gal
Ion. and every other man you met WAS
astatesn,an. Nov you have L" pay
fifteen for ~i,"ugl, wl,isky 10 wet the
bottom Of a small tuilbler, aud there
hasn't been Il sirrcI. made IL, the house
uf representatives for three years that
was listened to by anybody but the
sten',grapier.
~ Liberty. while enlarging her field,
las not always ameli"r,t+ti III. condi-
ti0n Of mankind. We are prone to
lsMst OYER the enormous mass of free.
dom which We have accumulated here
IN America. aud yet the freedom Of the